Officials at Ministry of Counter Narcotics warned the cultivation of poppy will rise unless donor countries help Afghanistan to fight drugs. According to a report from the ministry, some 2.5 million people are addicted to drugs in the country and some 3.5 million others are at risk of becoming potential addicts. Jawed Ahmad Qayem, deputy counter narcotics minister, said the reason for the increase in use of drugs in the country is increase in poppy cultivation. Salamat Azimi, minister of counter narcotics, said a coordination meeting will be held to seek assistance of donor countries for fighting drugs. Azimi said that joblessness, insecurity, lack of planning among donors and a weakened state of interest in countering the drug menace were the main reasons behind the upsurge of poppy cultivation. Meanwhile, Qayem said the absence of long-term programmes and aid were the other problems they face in the fight to counter drugs. Baz Mohammad Ahmadi, deputy head of narcotics department at the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) said drug addiction was not just an Afghan problem, and the international community must help Afghanistan’s fight to stop cultivation of opium. Ministry of Counter Narcotics further stated that supporting agencies could play a pivotal role in fighting drugs in the country; public health and agriculture ministries also voiced support and expressed their commitment to fighting drugs. Hamidullah Hamdard, deputy minister at Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, promised that the government will launch projects to ban poppy cultivation.
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